As the echo of the horses' hooves from Rexon's army faded into the darkness of the night, a terrifying, poisonous glint deepened in Noya's eyes, standing on the threshold of the palace. Her face glowed like a witch in the flickering yellow light of the torches.
Rexon's last words—"I will drag her by her hair and bring her to this palace"—echoed in Noya's ears like sweet music. Her fists tightened, and a wicked smile formed on her lips, sending shivers down anyone's spine.
"So she's coming..." Noya whispered into the cold air. A strange impatience and cruel curiosity arose within her. She wanted to see the girl with her own eyes. After all, what magical intoxication did that humble Rabbit Clan girl possess that had turned even a stone-hearted and fierce warrior like James into wax?
James, known throughout the Beast World for his fear and ruthlessness, had rebelled against his own blood, his own brothers, for a weak rabbit. Even brutes like Kevin and Alex were chasing the same girl like mad dogs.
"Genia..." Noya chewed the name and spat it out, as if it were bitter poison. Noya felt no pity for the girl, but rather a violent jealousy and hatred. She wanted to show Genia what worth meant in this ruthless world. Even if a girl from a weak clan became the weakness of a powerful beast, she could never become a queen.
The palace's chief maid approached Noya timidly. Her head was bowed to the ground, her body trembling with fear.
"Y... Your Highness..." the maid's voice trembled. "Arrangements for your royal bath and rest have been made. Please come inside."
Noya looked at the maidservant with contempt. The word "Queen"—all her pride arose. She raised her head proudly and, like a conqueror, stepped into the massive black stone palace of the Black Tiger Clan.
Walking through the palace corridors, Noya gazed covetously at everything that was now hers. Precious silk curtains, gold- and silver-studded weapons, and dozens of servants standing with their heads bowed in awe. It was all hers. And Genia? She would crawl into this palace like a mere insect.
Arriving in the royal chamber, when the maidservants lowered her into the pool filled with fragrant water, Noya's cunning mind began to race. Amidst the warm steam, she spun her plots.
It was certain that Rexon would shatter that girl's pride. That ferocious chieftain would inflict pain on Genia's body, chain her, and drag her like an animal. But Noya's intentions were far more terrifying.
Rexon would attack her body, but Noya wanted to tear her soul to shreds.
"Rexon will bring her here as a mere slave," Noya said to herself, wiping drops of water from her fingers, "but I will make her my personal slave. The lowest, most degraded slave."
That scene flashed before Noya's eyes. When Genia arrives at this palace, she will come believing that James will save her. But when she sees that Noya sits on the highest throne of the Black Tiger Clan, the one she dreamed of becoming a mate of, her pain and helplessness will be worth seeing.
Noya will make her realise every day, every moment that a Rabbit clan girl is worth nothing more than the dust on her shoes. She will have Genia massage her feet, take the wine cup from her hands, and if even a drop of it spills, she will have her flogged. She will flaunt her closeness with Rexon in front of Genia, so that the girl understands how to gain power and authority.
Genia, the girl whom James had hidden in his arms, thinking she was as delicate as a flower, will have her clean the dirtiest and smelliest corners of the palace.
"You have made many great chieftains go crazy for you, haven't you, Genia?" Noya said with a venomous smile, looking at her wet, beautiful, yet cruel reflection in the mirror. "But now you are dealing not with a beast, but with Noya. You have seen the game of love and betrayal; now you will witness the spectacle of a life worse than death."
After her bath, when the maids dressed Noya in precious black and red silk, she looked truly like a goddess of awe. Around her neck was the heavy gold necklace of the Black Tiger Clan, once worn by former queens of the clan.
She returned to the main window of the palace, from where she could see the dense forests of the northern border. The wind had picked up, as if a massive storm was heading towards James's palace.
Noya placed her hands firmly on the stone railing. She waited.
The moment when the trumpet would sound, heralding the return of Rexon's massive army. The moment when Genia's trembling footsteps and sobs would echo across the palace's threshold.
"Come quickly, my dear Genia," Noya's eyes burned with a devilish fire. "Rexon will decide your death sentence, but I have made every arrangement to make your life hell here. I will show you that when Noya sets out to destroy someone, even death begs for mercy."
The Black Tiger Clan's massive army, piercing through the night's darkness and bone-chilling cold winds, advanced like a dark whirlwind toward James's territory. The ground trembled with the thunder of horses' hooves and heavy iron boots.
Riding on his horse at the forefront of the army, Rexon looked like an invincible god of death. His red eyes pierced the darkness, fixated directly on James's palace, but his mind was elsewhere, immersed in a deep and cold thought.
Everything that happened in the palace, the royal honours and the status he bestowed upon Noya, all seemed, from the outside, to be the result of Rexon's arrogance and Neelima's cunning plot. But the truth was far from it. Rexon was not only a ferocious and barbaric chieftain, but also the most astute and visionary strategist in the entire Beast World. He knew that an empire cannot be run solely by the power of swords, but that it requires a deep understanding of the nature of humans and beasts.
Noya thought herself very clever, but she didn't know that the Black Tiger she was trying to trap had himself risen from the deepest quagmire of intrigue to become a chieftain.
A subtle, mysterious, and cold smile appeared on Rexon's lips.
"You think you're so clever, Noya..." Rexon thought to himself as the wind rustled. "You thought you could ensnare me with your body and the lure of an heir? How could a beast chieftain trust a female who had her own mate beheaded?"
Rexon felt no attraction for Noya, but rather a deep hatred and wariness. In the Beast World, the relationship of "mate" was considered the most sacred and unwavering. The female who can stain that sacred relationship with blood for her ambition and hunger for power, who can stab her chieftain in the back who gave her shelter, tomorrow she will not waste a moment in slitting Rexon's throat too.
Noya was such a venomous serpent that, if left unleashed, she would have ravaged the entire forest.
Rexon had made Noya his queen in his palace solely to keep her in his sights. He had imprisoned her in a golden cage. If he had abandoned or rejected her in the White Tiger Clan, the cunning girl would have secretly hatched a new plot or joined forces with another clan.
Rexon had held all the cards in his hands by keeping her close to him. He was never, under any circumstances, going to make Noya his true mate or the mother of his heir. But amidst all this, another face kept flashing in Rexon's mind, one that had robbed him of sleep and the clan of peace—Genia.
Rexon pulled the reins of his horse with his heavily armoured hand. The mysterious girl had come to his thoughts. Noya had dismissed Genia as just another "weakling from Rabbit Clan." But Rexon's discerning mind was calculating something else.
"A mere rabbit..." A strange curiosity and ferocity flashed in Rexon's eyes. "If she were truly so weak and insignificant, would a stone-hearted and ruthless warrior like James betray his own blood for her? Why would James, who had never even looked at a female, hide that girl away from the world's gaze, hiding her in a basement?"
Rexon's thoughts deepened. It wasn't just about James. Alex, known for his brutality, and Kevin, renowned for his clever strategies—both of them were scouring the entire Beast World like mad dogs after that one girl. What was so intoxicating, what was so magical about that girl that three powerful Black Tigers were willing to risk their lives for a glimpse of her?
The primal instinct of a male beast, seeking possession of the rarest and most precious thing, awakened within Rexon. He wanted to see her with his own eyes, to feel what magical aura surrounded Genia that could ensnare even the most feared hunters.
"I won't just drag her by her hair," Rexon promised himself, taking a deep breath. "I will bring her to my palace and test her."
Rexon's real plan was different. He wanted to bring both Genia and Noya under the same roof. He wanted to see what would happen when the scheming, poisonous Noya and the magical, alluring Genia faced off. Only one who was not only physically powerful but also mentally invincible could become the true queen of the Beast World.
Rexon was going to use them against each other. He was preparing a terrifying and psychological test to test them, from which only one would emerge alive.
If Noya's cunning and cruelty outweigh Genia's charm, he will see what happens next. But if Genia withstands Noya's poisonous storm... if that weak Rabbit Clan girl reveals any hidden strength, Rexon will make her his true queen.
"The female who sits on the throne of the Black Tiger Clan cannot be an ordinary woman," Rexon thought with a ferocious smile, looking up at the sky. "She will have to pass through a river of fire. Noya's poison and Genia... their true worth will be determined in the dungeons and court of my palace."
Just then, the commander brought his horse closer to Rexon and, bowing his head, said, "Chief, Prince James's northern borders are becoming visible. Our spies have reported that there is considerable activity in Second Prince's palace. He too has strengthened his security walls."
Rexon's attention shifted from his strategies to the looming battle. He saw the torches of James's palace flickering in the distant hills.
"James thinks he can save that girl from me," Rexon said, slightly unsheathing his heavy sword, causing a terrifying clang of iron to resonate in the air. "Tonight, the brothers' blood will flow like water. Order the army to surround the palace. Not even a bird is allowed to leave. I will meet James personally... and my new guest."
The army's shouts once again pierced the silence of the night, echoing through the sky. Rexon's red eyes now held only a hunger for prey. He was fully prepared to conquer Genia, shatter James's pride, and move the next piece on the bloody chessboard he had laid out.